


Came Back Haunted

by PinkSparkleUnicorn



Category: Haven - Fandom
Genre: Destroying Evidence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Intentional Drowning, Mentioned Family Murder, Mentioned Home Invasion/Murder/Sexual Assault, Mentioned Teen Murder, Processing Trauma, Rape, Refusing to Report a Crime, Trauma, getting away with murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-14 01:06:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16903209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkSparkleUnicorn/pseuds/PinkSparkleUnicorn
Summary: Nathan shows up at the Rouge in the middle of the night, bloody, bruised, and dazed. Duke brings him inside to find out he was attacked and raped by an ex-con he put away. How does Nathan deal with what happened and why did he go to Duke? How does Duke react to having a semi-conscious Nathan on his boat in desperate need of medical attention? Set in a Troubled Haven sometime before season one. Duke and Nathan did not have the Coast Guard fight but are not close anymore.





	Came Back Haunted

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to write something totally different from my usual “angst with a happy ending” I went to a dark place for this one. 
> 
> Written for this tumblr writing prompt “The hero shows up at the villain’s doorstep one night. They’re shivering, bleeding, scared. There’s also a slightly dazed look in their eyes– they were drugged. They look like they were assaulted. Looking up at the villain, swaying slightly as they’re close to passing out, they mumble “…didn’t know where else to go…” then collapse into the villain’s arms.”
> 
>  
> 
> **WARNING: This is incredibly dark. Please DO NOT read if anything in the tags may upset you. Please go back and check the tags again before reading.**

A scuffle on the the deck of the Cape Rouge followed by a loud thud against the hatch startled Duke. He hadn’t been sleeping but he was still aggravated that he had to get up and see who was bothering him at two in the morning. He grabbed the gun from under the couch and went to see who was on his boat. He listened at the hatch for a minute before slowly opening it, gun aimed at the whoever was on the other side. Once the hatch was fully opened he barely had time to register who it was before they pitched forward. Quickly stuffing the gun in the back of his jeans, he reached out to grab them before they hit their head. 

“Nathan? What the hell?” Duke asked, noticing the blood trickling down his face. 

“I..I had nowhere else to go...” Nathan said, before falling into Duke.

Duke glanced around the deck to make sure there was no one else there before pulling Nathan inside and bolting the hatch. 

He half carried Nathan to the kitchen and guided him to the bench. “What happened?”

Nathan looked up at Duke, trying very hard to focus. “Need a shower...somewhere to sleep...”

“No, Nathan, you need a hospital. There’s blood everywhere.” Duke said,  
looking him over. 

“No hospital. Why I came...” Nathan struggled to remember what he was trying to say. The the room was spinning and before he had a chance to say anything else, the world went black. 

“Nathan...Nate...can you hear me?” 

“Yeah...” Nathan managed weakly. He opened his eyes and saw Duke on his knees in front of him, possibly holding his face steady. He couldn’t tell. The room was still spinning, making it hard for him to focus.

“Do you know who did this to you?” Duke asked, barely able to disguise the anger in his voice. 

Nathan nodded but regretted it immediately. “Can’t see straight...room is spinning...sleep maybe?.”

“You cannot sleep. You have a head wound and probably a concussion. I’m going to let go of you for just a minute. Stay awake. Talk to me.” Duke let go of him and quickly ran to the kitchen to get a wet towel. 

Nathan slumped on the bench and tried to concentrate but he couldn’t and the world went black again. 

“Wake up! Nate! You can’t sleep!” Duke started to shake Nathan before realizing it wouldn’t do any good, he wouldn’t feel it. 

Nathan opened his eyes, blinking against the light shining down on him. “I need a shower,” he said again, clearer this time. 

“You gonna stay with me this time, Nate?” Duke asked, staring into Nathan’s eyes trying to see if he was going to pass out again.

“Uh huh, I think so.” 

“You’re bleeding...a lot. I need to see where it’s all coming from. You okay with that?” Duke asked, gently taking the wet towel and cleaning away the blood on Nathan’s face. 

“Yeah. Think he cut me...Blood. Hit my head. My cuffs… my wrists...” Nathan’s voice wavered as he lifted his hand to show Duke the cuffs still attached to his left wrist. 

Duke looked into Nathan’s eyes while he cleaned the blood from the wound on his temple. Nathan was terrified. He couldn’t remember ever seeing that look on his face before. “You’re safe here. I’m almost done cleaning your face. Can you tell me what happened?”

“Lost someone today. Accident on route 10. She was only twenty. Wanted to forget. Stupid. I was stupid. Should’ve went home. Didn’t want to face an empty apartment...” 

Duke continued to wipe the blood off of Nathan’s face. “Ok…”

“Went to The Rope Loft. I was on my way to forgetting when I saw Ned Stone at the end of the bar. Must’ve gotten out on parole. I should’ve left. It’s my fault...” Nathan looked away, but not before Duke saw the tears welling up in his eyes. 

“This? You think this is your fault?” Duke asked, gently turning Nathan’s face back towards him. 

“It is. I didn’t leave. I ordered another drink. Stupid. So, stupid.”

Duke set the towel on the table. “Stop it. You aren’t stupid. At least not about this. You’re bleeding through your shirt...I’m going to take it off, okay?”

“Why are you asking me? You know I can’t feel it. Just do it. I probably wouldn’t even know if you didn’t say anything.” Nathan snapped. 

“I’m asking you because it’s your shirt. It’s your body. And I’m not going to do something without telling you first.” Duke said softly.

Nathan shrugged. “Whatever...do what you have to.”

Duke started to unbutton Nathan’s shirt. It looked like someone took a knife to it. Taking a calming breath, he pulled what was left of the shirt from Nathan’s shoulders. “Jesus...”

“What? It’s bad?” Nathan asked, turning his head to try and see what Duke was looking at. 

“You were right, he cut your side. It’s about four inches long. I’m not sure how deep. We have to go to a hospital.” Duke insisted. 

“No! I know you can stitch it up. Just check if he cut me anywhere else...”

Duke shook his head but continued to look Nathan over. Red marks covered his torso and his wrists were bloody, probably because he struggled while he was cuffed. “Your gun, where is it...did he take it?”

“Think he threw it. Heard something hit the wall.” Nathan tried to reach for his gun but Duke stopped him and checked for himself. 

“It’s gone. Shit. I’m going to take your gun belt off, okay?”

“Are you going to ask before you do everything?” Nathan asked quietly. 

“Yes. I want you aware of everything I’m doing and you can tell me to stop at any time,” he said, setting the gun belt on the table behind Nathan. “How did this happen?”

“Got up to leave. Was going to walk home. He must’ve followed me. Got me from behind and dragged me into an alley. He punched me, said I ruined his life. I tried to reach for my gun but he hit me again. Got so mad when I couldn’t feel it... slammed my head into the wall. Couldn’t get up fast enough. Saw the knife. Think that’s when he cut me.” Nathan paused to take a deep breath. 

Duke tried to get Nathan to stand. “C’mon, none of what you said is reason enough not to go to the hospital. I’ll drive you.”

“Can’t...no one can know...Chief will have my badge. Lost my gun. I’m a shitty cop...please Duke...don’t make me go...” Nathan pleaded. 

“Nate, you aren’t going to lose your badge. This isn’t your fault. Why can’t anyone know?” 

“He went crazy after he cut me...after I got up...that’s when he...I can’t… I can’t...” Nathan buried his face in his hands. 

Duke stared at Nathan, confused and angry. Angry because someone did this to him and confused as to why a seasoned cop was refusing to go to the hospital and report a crime. 

“What’s going on here, Nathan? Why won’t you report this?”

Nathan pulled away from Duke and dug into his pocket for his phone. He opened his pictures and shoved it into Duke’s hand.

Duke looked down at the phone and almost threw up. He swiped through almost twenty pictures, all of them disgustingly graphic. “Oh my god, Nate. This isn’t your fault. The Chief-“

Nathan interrupted him. “The Chief can never know! No one can know. I let this happen...I’m a shitty cop...”

“You are not a shitty cop. Look, I can stitch you up and clean your wounds but I won’t be able to tell if you have any injuries from this.” Duke waved the phone in the air before setting on the table. “He could have caused serious damage and I won’t be able to tell. I can take you to Derry. We’ll use an alias, pay cash...” Duke suggested.

“Need a shower. Stitch me up and let me take a shower...please, Duke. I came here because I trust you...I’m asking for your help...please.”

Duke never heard Nathan sound like this, so broken and defeated. All his instincts were telling him to force Nathan to go to the hospital but the pleading look Nathan was giving him was breaking his heart. He ran his hands through his hair and rested them on his neck. “Okay. Can you walk to the bathroom?”

Nathan shrugged and looked away. “I don’t know.”

“Alright, stay put for now. I’ll bring everything out here. I’ll stitch you up and then we’ll assess the shower situation. Fair enough?” Duke asked, moving to put himself in Nathan’s line of vision. 

“I just want this to be over...” Nathan said, breaking the eye contact to look at his hands.

Duke left Nathan sitting on the bench in his kitchen while he rounded up all the supplies needed. He came back and put everything on the table. “I’m going to clean out the cut. I know you won’t feel it but I’m still telling you I’m doing it. Can you stand up and lean over a bit so I can pour the alcohol?”

Nathan gripped the table and stood up, leaning slightly to the side. “Move me where you need me.”

Duke maneuvered his body into a position to give him better access to the wound. He moved a chair next to Nathan. “Hold onto this to keep your balance.” He opened the alcohol and poured it over the open wound, wincing even though he knew Nathan wasn’t feeling it. 

When he was satisfied the wound was clean and wasn’t going to get infected, he sat Nathan on the chair. “I’m going to stitch the knife wound now. Try not to move. I know that’s not easy for you to judge, so just let me know if you think you’re going to pass out. Can you do that?”

“I think so,” Nathan said quietly. 

Duke knelt down in front of the injury and carefully stitched it closed with small, even stitches. “This shouldn’t scar too badly. I’m trying to keep it even. I’m going to clean and bandage your wrists next. And I’ll have to bandage them again after your shower.”

Duke stood up to stretch his back before kneeling down to continue.  
“Nathan, what are you going to tell everyone? Your face is already bruising. And I may actually have to stitch that cut on your temple, too.”

“I don’t know...why do I have to say anything?”

“People are going to notice. The Chief is going to notice. Look...if you won’t tell them the truth you can always say we got into a fight...again.”

Nathan tried to move to look at him but Duke held him in place. “I asked you not to move...”

“Why would you take the blame for this?” Nathan asked.

“All done. I’ll bandage it after you shower.” 

“Duke? Why?”

“Because you can’t explain this away by blaming it on your trouble. No one will question a fight with me. I’m just a lowlife criminal...people expect me to do things like this to you.” Duke said bitterly. He stood and leaned in to get a closer look at Nathan’s head injury. “It looks like it should heal without stitches.”

Nathan grabbed his arm. “I don’t...I don’t expect it...anymore.”

Duke sighed. “We’ll talk about this later. I have to get those cuffs off. I’m guessing he got rid of the key?”

Nathan nodded. 

“Let me get my kit. I’ll have it off in a minute.”

Duke took a minute to pick the lock and he let the cuffs fall to the floor. 

Nathan winced at the sound, curling his body toward Duke without realizing it.

“I was going to bandage your wrists but I’ll do that after the shower. You think you can manage it on your own?”

“Think so. Need to get clean...”

Duke helped Nathan stand and guided him to the bathroom. He made Nathan sit down on the toilet seat while he adjusted the water and got towels.

“You don’t have to do that you know. I can’t feel if it’s too hot or too cold.” 

“But I’ll know if it is. Does everyone in your life treat you like this? Like you don’t matter because of your trouble?” Duke asked, clearly shocked.

“I can’t feel anything so why would anyone take the time to pretend like I can?” Nathan answered softly.

“Just because you can’t feel doesn’t make you less of a person. No one should treat you like this...” Duke pointed out. 

“You did. The tacks...” Nathan said, not meeting Duke’s eyes. 

“I was a stupid kid and I’m very sorry. I know that’s probably too little too late but Nathan, the people treating you like this now are adults. Adults who don’t seem to care about anything except making things easier for themselves. That’s wrong. You deserve better.”

“Can I please just get in the shower now?” Nathan asked, his voice starting to break. 

“Are you sure you want to do this? You’ll be destroying all the evidence...”

“Don’t need evidence if you aren’t reporting anything...” 

“Nate? Are you sure?” 

“Duke...I need a shower...just let me take a shower, please...”

“Do you need help?”

Nathan shook his head and reached to unbutton his pants. Duke turned towards the door, trying to give him privacy. 

“I’ll go get you clean clothes. I’ll leave the door open in case you need me,” he said, leaving the bathroom.

Nathan slowly removed his pants and stepped into the shower. He stood under the water, letting it run over his battered body. He closed his eyes and a flash of memory flooded through his brain.

_Heard you can’t feel anything anymore. Can’t feel all this pain I’m inflicting. That’s okay. Just means I can do anything I want and you won’t scream. How about I cuff you to that pipe and fuck you until you bleed. And then I’ll just let you go because you don’t have the balls to come after me. You’ll just run home and keep your pretty mouth closed because you are nothing and you don’t matter._

Nathan started to hyperventilate. The shower started to spin and he lost his balance. He fell, knocking all the bottles off the ledge.

Duke pushed the door open. “Nathan? Are you okay?” He opened the curtain to find Nathan curled up on the floor of the tub, sobbing. “Nathan? Nate...let me help you up.”

“I’m going to lose everything. I deserve to lose everything,” he said, trying to control his sobs. 

“Don’t do this to yourself. It wasn’t your fault. Do you want me help you finish your shower...”

Nathan couldn’t speak, he just nodded. 

“I’m gonna change my jeans and put on a pair of shorts. Okay? Don’t move.” Duke turned to leave when Nathan called him back. 

“Don’t go...please...” 

Duke nodded and pulled back the curtain. He stepped into the shower and spoke softly, “You need to stand up. Nate, look at me...take my hand.”

Nathan looked up at Duke, the shame and terror written all over his face. Shaking, he reached up to take Duke’s outstretched hand. “I couldn’t feel it...I couldn’t feel it...he was right...I’m nothing...”

“No...he was wrong. You aren’t nothing. You didn't do anything to deserve this. He’s the criminal not you.” 

Nathan let out another sob but didn’t reply. 

Duke looked him over and felt bile rise to his throat. There was dried blood all down his thighs and bruises were already starting to form on his hips. Then he noticed a bite mark on Nathan’s shoulder. “Fuckin’ bastard,” he said under his breath. 

“Nate, there’s blood all down your legs. I’m gonna wash it off, okay?”

Nathan nodded, still trying to regain control.

Duke knelt down and gently washed the blood away. He stood and checked Nathan over again, making sure he didn’t miss any injuries. “Looks like I got all the blood.I’m going to turn off the water. Can you get out on your own? I have clothes in the bedroom.”

Nathan was still shaking but he was able to get out of the shower without any help. He took the towel Duke handed him and started drying off. “Sorry,” he said gesturing to Duke’s dripping jeans. 

Duke waved him off. “Forget it. Can you make it my room? I’m going to dry off and I’ll be right there.”

“Should be okay, but do you have a toothbrush? Something in my mouth is or was bleeding...I can taste the blood.” Nathan asked, wrapping the towel around his waist. 

“Yeah, give me a minute.” Duke rummaged around in the cabinet under the sink and came up with a new toothbrush. He opened it and handed it to Nathan. “Do you want me to check if you’re still bleeding?”

Nathan turned to him and opened his mouth.

“You bit the side of your mouth but it’s not bad.”

Nathan quickly brushed his teeth and set the the brush on the sink. “Thanks, clothes are in the bedroom?”

“On the bed. I’ll be there in a minute if you need me,” Duke said, watching Nathan leave. 

Duke waited until he was gone before he stripped out of his wet clothes and dried himself off. He wrapped a towel around his waist and went to make sure Nathan was okay. 

Nathan was pulling a tee shirt over his head when Duke entered his bedroom. 

Duke rummaged through his drawers and pulled out a pair of sleep pants and a tee shirt. He quickly pulled them on and grabbed his and Nathan’s towels to put back in the bathroom to dry. “You feeling okay enough to make it to kitchen? I have to bandage your side and your wrists.”

“Yeah.” Nathan replied heading toward the kitchen. He sat down on the bench and waited. 

Duke finished in the bathroom and went to the kitchen to finish bandaging Nathan’s injuries. “Lift your shirt for me. I’m going to cover the stitches.”

Once that was done he took hold of Nathan’s hands and gently checked his wrists. “These are going to be tricky to hide, Nate.” 

Nathan didn't acknowledge him, just stared at the open wounds on his wrists.

Duke wrapped them both in clean gauze and taped the ends to secure them. “I’ll change them again before you leave. Go sit on the couch. I’ll make coffee, though I’m sure you’re almost sober by now.”

Nathan stared at Duke for a minute before turning towards the couch. 

Duke hurried to brew some coffee. When it was ready, he poured two mugs and went to sit next to Nathan. “Give it a minute to cool down.”

Nathan took the cup and took a long swallow.

“What are you doing?” Duke asked, taking the mug back.

“Why does it matter? I can’t feel anything. I’m nothing. I don’t matter…”

Duke put both mugs on the end table. He curled his legs under him and moved closer to Nathan. “People say cruel things to make themselves feel better. To make themselves seem more important. You aren’t nothing. You matter.” He reached out to touch Nathan, making sure he could see his hands, and squeezed his arm. 

Nathan saw Duke’s hand squeeze his arm. He _saw_ it, but couldn’t _feel_ it. The tears he thought he had gotten under control while Duke was in the bathroom burned his eyes. “Why do you insist on touching me? Can’t feel it. Know you want to help...but it’s not working.”

“I’ll stop.” Duke pulled his hand away. “Nathan...I know what you’re going through…”

Nathan let the tears fall, not caring what he looked like anymore. He was worthless, a failure, why not add pathetic to the list. “No. I don’t think you do...and stop saying I matter. I don’t. I’m not real.” 

“You _are_ real. And I won’t stop saying you matter because you do. People care-“

Nathan interrupted him. “No they don’t. I came to you...because I had nowhere to else to go...no one cares.”

Duke reached out and touched Nathan’s hand again. He rubbed circles in the back of his hand even though he knew Nathan couldn't feel it. He moved his other hand to cup Nathan's jaw, maintaining eye contact, and said again - “You _matter_.”

Nathan dropped his gaze, pulled back a little, and angrily wiped the tears away. He glanced at the hand Duke was still holding. Why was he still touching him? Why wasn’t he treating him like everyone else? A tiny sob escaped when Nathan finally understood. Duke cared. He believed Nathan _mattered_. The gentleness he showed while tending to his injuries proved that. The honesty in his eyes proved that.

“Nate, you’ll get through this. If you want my help-“

Nathan fell forward and wrapped his arms around Duke. He buried his face in his neck and let himself cry. 

“It’s going to be okay. You’ll be okay. You need to rest now.” Duke whispered soothingly. He hugged Nathan and shifted him every so often, just enough to let Nathan knew he was still holding him. “Stay here tonight and we’ll figure things out in the morning. Take a sick day if you can. Nothing is going to happen to you here. You’re safe, I promise.”

“I just want to sleep. Don’t want to think about anything else.” Nathan mumbled into Duke’s shoulder. He clung to Duke, crying until he had no tears left and his breathing steadied. “I just want to sleep,” he said again, twisting out of Duke’s embrace. 

Duke got up and Nathan leaned back, closing his eyes. He was asleep before Duke had a chance to offer him his room. Sighing, Duke gently moved Nathan so he was stretched out on the couch. He grabbed the blanket from the chair and covered him. Satisfied he was indeed asleep, he moved to the table and sat down. 

This was one hell of a mess and Duke only had a few hours before everything went to shit for Nathan. He picked up Nathan’s phone and stared at it. Taking a deep calming breath he tried to open it. When he touched the screen he was prompted for a passcode. “Security conscious, that’s good. It’s only a four digit code, I can figure this out,” Duke muttered to himself.

After getting locked out of the phone twice, Duke knelt down next to Nathan. “Nate, need to open your phone. What’s the pass code?”

Nathan mumbled something and turned away from Duke. 

“Didn’t quite catch that, Nate. What’s the code?”

“Mom’s birthday...“ Nathan mumbled.

“I got it, go back to sleep.” Duke entered the digits before Nathan finished speaking. 

He sat at the table and flipped through the pictures again, trying desperately to keep the contents of his stomach from spewing all over the kitchen floor. “C’mon, c’mon...where the fuck is this?” He mumbled. He circled through the pictures three times before he figured out where they were taken. 

Duke got up and checked to make sure Nathan was still sleeping soundly. He quickly searched Nathan’s jeans and found the keys to the Bronco. With one last glance at Nathan, he grabbed the keys to the Rouge and left the boat. 

The alley where Nathan was attacked was less than ten minutes from the Rouge. He found Nathan’s gun easily and tucked in his pants next to his own. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find the keys to the cuffs but they could easily be replaced. 

Getting the Bronco was a little trickier, the damn thing was loud as hell and it was the middle of the night. He stood in the parking lot of the Rope Loft and weighed his options. He could leave it there and get it in the morning or hope no one heard him start it. Finally deciding it would be better if the Bronco was at the marina, Duke opened the door and started it up. He looked around quickly before backing it out of the parking space and heading to the Rouge. 

Nathan was still asleep by the time Duke was safely back on the Rouge. He set the gun on the table next to the gun belt. 

“Now for the hard part.” Duke muttered as he opened Nathan’s phone again and deleted all the photos. He checked the backup settings and sighed. “Of course you’d back things up to the cloud. I gotta teach you about safer ways to back things up.” He opened his laptop to delete the photos from the cloud. 

Satisfied the pictures were deleted, Duke picked up the cuffs from the floor where he had left them. He brought them to the sink to clean them. First with soap and water, then with bleach to remove all traces of Nathan’s blood. He knew this was also removing Ned Stone’s fingerprints but that didn’t matter anymore. All that mattered was keeping anyone from finding out what happened. That’s what Nathan wanted and he was going to do his damnedest to make sure that happened. 

Duke opened the phone one last time and looked through Nathan’s contacts. He quickly typed a text to the Chief. _Late night poker game at the Rouge. Not feeling well. Taking a sick day._

By the time he was done with everything, Duke was exhausted. He sat in the chair across from the couch and tried to catch a few hours of sleep before Nathan woke up. 

****  
Duke woke with a start, glanced to the couch and found it empty. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat back. He really didn’t expect Nathan to be there when he woke up. 

Which is why he almost fell out of the chair when he heard Nathan’s voice.

“So, I took a sick day?”

Duke turned to see Nathan staring at his phone. 

“I thought that might be for the best.” Duke walked to the table and sat across from Nathan.

“You found my gun? And cleaned my cuffs?” 

“I couldn’t find the keys…”

“And the pictures...they’re gone, too? Why did you...how did you…”

Duke leaned back. “The how is long and boring, but the why? Because I wasn’t gonna let your life go to shit. I did what I could to help you. What else can I do?”

“Gotta go get the Bronco.”

“Already parked next to the Landrover. Anything else?”

Nathan gave him a strange look. “You went out in the middle of the night, on foot, to do all this?”

“Yes. I did.”

“Why? Why would you risk getting caught in my truck with my gun?”

“Are we going to go through this again? Because none of this was your fault and I wasn’t going to let that asshole destroy your life. Now if anyone asks you were here and I drank too much and we fought…”

“No.” Nathan said softly. 

“No what?”

“You aren’t taking the blame for my injuries. I’m not giving the Chief any ammunition against you.”

“Look...we’ve fought before. No one is going to know we didn’t this time.”

Nathan lowered his eyes to the table. “I will and I don’t like it.”

“Nate...what’s the alternative? You’re going to have a hard enough time hiding your wrists...why give anyone... _especially_ the Chief any reason to think you’re hiding something else? If you don’t want to report this, if you want to move on...I’m right there with you but you gotta help me out.”

“Help me hide the injuries. The ones on my face will be easy. I can say I was drunk and fell. But you’re right, I don’t know how to hide these.” Nathan lifted his wrists.

Duke took a deep breath. “And...uh...your neck…well, shoulder actually…”

Nathan looked confused. “What’s wrong with my shoulder?” 

“A bite mark. No broken skin thank god, but it’s noticeable.”

Nathan’s shoulders slumped. “How do I hide all this? I just want it to go away.”

“Okay. If that is what you want I’ll help you. But first...do you want breakfast?”

“No.” Nathan answered quickly.

Duke shot him a small smile. “Not even pancakes?”

Nathan shrugged. “I could eat pancakes, I mean if you were going to make them anyway…”

“Pancakes coming up!” Duke stood and went to the kitchen. 

Nathan sat at the table still holding his phone. Every so often he would glance at Duke. He was moving around the kitchen with ease, whipping up the pancake batter like it was nothing. Like when they were younger and they’d drink too much and pass out. Duke would always wake up early and make pancakes. 

He missed that. The joking over beers, the late night poker games, the fishing trips. How had things gotten so messed up? Oh right, he became a cop and Duke’s businesses weren’t always legal. Nathan stole another glance at Duke and sighed. Maybe things weren’t _that_ messed up, maybe one good thing could come out of this horrific situation. Maybe he could get his friend back. 

Duke placed a plate of steaming pancakes in front of Nathan. “Let me get the syrup.”

“The good stuff?” Nathan asked, trying to keep his voice even.

Duke turned and gave him a soft smile. “Yes, the good stuff.” He reached into the cabinet, grabbed the syrup and placed it on the table. “Eat. Then we’ll figure everything out.”

Nathan ate quickly. “They were really good. Thank you.”

Duke smiled. “Anytime, Nate. C’mon let’s figure out how to hide all this.” He gestured to Nathan’s wrists.

Nathan got up and followed Duke to his bedroom. He sat on the bed while Duke searched his closet. “Aha...knew I had one…” He turned and handed Nathan a white button down.

Nathan took the shirt. “What’s this for?”

“I know you wear button downs to work. I need to see if the sleeves will cover your wrists. Put it on.”

Nathan pulled the tee shirt over his head and put the dress shirt on. 

Duke reached out and started buttoning it, but Nathan pushed his hands away. “I am capable of buttoning my own shirt.”

“Technically that’s my shirt…”

Nathan halfheartedly glared at him while he buttoned the cuffs and pulled them down as far as they would go. 

“Okay, move around. Pretend you’re writing or something.”

Nathan did as he was told. Duke stared at his wrists making sure you couldn’t see the bandages. “So far, so good. I’ll be right back.”

When he came back, Duke handed Nathan his gun belt. “Draw your gun. I mean let’s hope you don’t have to until they are healed but you never know.”

After attaching the belt, Nathan pulled his gun out of the holster. “Well? Can you see anything?”

“No. You should be good. Of course you’re going to have to wear long sleeves and remember not to roll them up. Now let’s figure out that...mark.”

Duke reached over and butttoned the top button of the shirt. “Well, that covers it. Just wear a tie and it won’t look strange if all the buttons are buttoned.”

Nathan managed a small laugh. “I can’t believe I’m taking fashion advice from you.”

“Shut up...you love my fashion.” 

“Thanks, Duke. For...everything. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t found my gun…” Nathan kept his eyes on his hands while he took off the dress shirt and put the tee shirt back on.

“Nate, I know you probably don’t think so but we’re still friends. I wasn’t going to sit back and let you get in trouble with the Chief. I wish you had reported this but that was your decision.”

“I know you don’t understand why but thank you for respecting my decision.”

“Nathan, can you promise me something?” Duke asked seriously.

“What?”

“If you ever have a day like that again, one where you need to drink yourself into oblivion, you’ll come here.”

“Why would you…”

“Care? C’mon Nate, I spent last night convincing you that you matter and I _just_ told you we’re still friends...I don’t want anything to happen to you. Promise me, please?”

Nathan sighed. “I promise.”

“Okay...now that’s all settled...how about some poker?”

*********  
Two weeks passed and Nathan and Duke saw each other a few times around town. They always stopped to talk and Nathan was hopeful the old wounds were healing. He was thinking of inviting Duke out fishing when he received news that sent his world crashing down again. 

“Nathan, come in here.” The Chief called one morning as Nathan passed his office on the way to his own. 

“Everything okay, Chief?”

“Close the door.” 

Nathan could hear his breathing becoming erratic. Had the Chief somehow found out what had happened with Ned Stone? He closed the door and sat in the chair in front of the desk. 

“Thought you should know, Camden PD pulled someone out of the bay a few days ago. And ex-con you put away, Ned Stone.” The Chief held out a file.

Nathan took the file, hoping his hands weren’t shaking. “Yeah? What happened? Fishing accident?” He asked casually. 

“Looks like he was fleeing, about to violate parole. Truth is I didn't even know he was out. Would’ve warned you and maybe assigned you a partner for a bit. That man was dangerous. Good thing he didn’t come looking for you. No big loss he’s dead but thought you’d want to know.”

“Why was he out so early? He didn’t even serve ten years of his life sentence,” Nathan asked. 

“Not quite sure. I’m planning on calling Shawshank and finding out. And while I’m at it I’m going to find out why we weren’t notified. We got lucky this time but don’t want to take chances again. I like to know when they let out cold blooded killers who might want to come after one of my own, especially my son.”

Nathan stood to leave. “Thanks for telling me Chief. We won’t have to worry he’ll hurt anyone else.”

“My thoughts exactly. See you for dinner?”

“I-I have paperwork...I’ll try to make it,” Nathan said, walking out the door and turning towards his office. 

When he got there he realized he was still holding the file. He closed his door and pulled the blinds down. He sat at his desk and hands shaking, opened the file. He looked over the medical examiner’s report and saw it was ruled an accidental drowning. No foul play suspected. Nathan knew he was on the verge of hyperventilating again, he could hear his ragged breaths and the pounding of his heart.

Anger mixed with fear seemed to flow through him. He knew, somehow he just knew what happened. “Damnit, Duke.” He whispered to himself. 

Without thinking he picked up his empty coffee mug and threw it across the room. It shattered into pieces when it hit the wall. 

Nathan stared at his door waiting for someone to come in and see what happened, but no one did. He didn’t know if that was good or a sad commentary on what people thought of him. That no one even noticed him smashing things against the wall. 

He turned on his computer and pulled up Ned Stone’s arrest file. He sent  
the information to his phone and shut his computer down. He got up and picked up the broken pieces of the mug. Shaking his head, he threw the pieces in the garbage can and left the office. 

“Chief, I’m heading out. Taking a personal day. That okay?” Nathan asked, stopping by his father’s office.

The Chiefs barely looked up. “Yeah, yeah. It’s quiet today. Go.”

Nathan sighed again. Not even his own father noticed anything off about him. When he told Duke no one cared about him, he really hadn’t meant his father. But it looked like he was right in his assessment… _no one cared_. Except for Duke. It was obvious Duke cared more that Nathan had realized. He cared enough to risk everything to take care of Ned Stone for the pain he inflicted on Nathan. The irony of it all was that Duke had committed a crime to avenge a crime that Nathan didn’t even feel. 

After stopping at the liquor store to get beer and good whiskey, Nathan made his way to the marina. He stayed far away from the Rouge, he couldn’t face Duke. At least not yet. Instead, he sat on the dock and stared at the file on his phone. He didn’t need to read it though, he was there. He walked into that house and saw the devastation Ned had left behind. He saw the battered and bruised bodies covered in blood, lying dead all over the house. Ned showed no mercy, he cut them and sexually assaulted them before killing each and every member of the family. The father, the mother, the two teenage daughters. 

Nathan had been the one to blow the case open. He found the gun, dropped down a sewer drain. It had caught on leaves and other debris that should have washed away but hadn’t. They found Ned a few days later in an old fishing cabin, still covered in blood, so sure he wasn’t going to be convicted. It took the jury ten minutes to convict. He was given a life sentence, but what did that mean anymore? Out in fifteen with good behavior? Ned was locked away for barely ten years, what had gone wrong? 

Nathan opened one of the beers next to him and took a long drink. The truth of the matter was simple. Ned Stone was a psychopath who should not have been given parole. Instead of acting like the model prisoner he would have had to be to even go before the parole board, the first thing he did after getting out was assault the very police officer that put him away. There was no doubt he was no one to mourn. But if that was the case why was Nathan so angry. He sighed and looked to the Rouge. He was angry because Duke committed a crime...for him. 

He knew Duke did it for all the right reasons but it was still a crime. Nathan wasn’t sure what to do. Did he turn a blind eye? Did he arrest him? Did he phone in an anonymous tip? Bowing his head he caught sight of the picture on his phone. A picture of that sweet sixteen year old cheerleader smiling up at him. Looking in that girl’s eyes everything became clear. Ned would have done it again. He was not rehabilitated. He was a cold blooded killer who happened to get his hands on Nathan before he had chance to find another unsuspecting family. Duke committed a crime but it was a crime that would save innocent lives. And in the end those innocent lives mattered more.

He stood and picked up the alcohol from the dock. He walked slowly to the Rouge, still not sure what he was going to say when Duke opened the hatch. He would figure it out when he got there he supposed.

Nathan hesitated for a brief moment before he hopped on the deck of the Rouge. His hand was poised to knock on the hatch when it opened. Duke looked at him and tilted his head. “Nate?”

“I brought whiskey and beer. Can I come in? It’s been a really bad day…”

Duke’s expression softened and he moved aside to let Nathan in. “Yeah, I think it has been.”


End file.
